


Gemini Rising: Debt Collector

by dsa_archivist



Category: due South
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, M/M, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1999-05-14
Updated: 1999-05-14
Packaged: 2018-11-11 02:37:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11139477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dsa_archivist/pseuds/dsa_archivist
Summary: This story is a sequel toGemini Rising.





	Gemini Rising: Debt Collector

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Speranza, the archivist: this story was once archived at [Due South Archive](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Due_South_Archive). To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Due South Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/duesoutharchive).

Gemini Rising

**  
Gemini Rising II:  
Debt Collector  
by  
Red Skye**  


*=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=*

"Sunshine, stop  
looking at me like that?"  
"Like what?"  
Doug returned  
the look making Ray laugh.  
"You're exaggerating."  
"I'd  
ask what you're thinking, but I don't think I want to know."  
"I was just thinking about that first meeting at the brothel."  
"And what were you thinking about it?"  
"I was wondering if ..  
what happened was a big mistake or not."  
"And..."  
"I'm  
come to the conclusion it wasn't a mistake."  
Doug smiled and  
passed Ray a tray of crusty and fragrant garlic bread. Ray  
took a  
slice and sopped up the remains of the incredible bolognaise sauce that  
Doug had made to go with his pasta with it as he thought about how to  
follow up his statement.  
"Until that meeting, I was always living  
in fear, and I was starting to go  
stir crazy. I lost count of the  
number of times I almost blew my cover doing something stupid simply  
because I wanted to go back to the life I knew, because it was getting  
to me. But now.. I think I can pull this off. And it's all thanks to  
you."  
Doug selected a sushi roll to nibble on and waited for  
Ray to say more.  
"What is that?" Ray asked not inclined to elucidate  
on why he felt the way  
he did.  
"Sushi. Fish, vegetables,  
and a little spice and rice wrapped in seaweed."  
Ray made a  
face. Doug laughed for a moment before becoming serious and selecting  
another Sushi portion to hold it out to Ray with his chopsticks.  
"You're doppelganger would not make a face - or ask what Sushi was. He  
had  
a far more adventurous palate."  
Ray took the offered  
tidbit taking a cautious nibble.  
=Not bad=  
He took  
a bigger bite, decided he liked it, then polished it off.  
"See,  
it's not as bad as you thought it was."  
"I think you're just  
trying to get me to eat more of the things you eat."  
"My father  
was a caterer, he traveled the world learning how to cook the  
food  
of all nations. I grew up surrounded by exotic foods and dishes."  
"Did you travel the world with him?" Ray asked curious, it was the first  
time Doug had spoke about his early life or mentioned something about  
his father, the parent rather than his father the murder victim.  
"After my mother left, taking Donna with her, he became nomadic. We traveled  
through Asia for five years, while he learned the art of Asian cooking."  
"And you learned martial arts."  
Doug nodded.  
"Then  
we spent a year in Australia and New Zealand, he picked up the recipes  
for his most popular seafood and roast dishes there."  
"What  
was that like?"  
"New Zealand was a bit like .. home with its  
wilderness and mountains. Australia was .. like no place I'd ever been  
before. We traveled the entire continent, I saw its beaches, deserts,  
rain forests and mountains.  
And was rather disappointed that my father's  
travels took me to the wrong side of the continent during the snow season.  
But he made up for it, by taking me to New Zealand and finding employment  
on the slopes where I could play in all the snow I cared too."  
"Have you been home?"  
"To Canada, no."  
He didn't miss  
the start of surprise Ray gave at the mention of Canada.  
"Did  
I say something strange?"  
"You're Canadian? I thought you were  
Italian."  
"By birth, I am. He met and married my mother in Europe,  
and lived in Italy till we were born, we were less than a few months  
old when he relocated to Quebec and I lived in Canada until all the trouble  
started."  
"That's when you came to America for the first time."  
"No .. I was 18 before I set foot on American soil - On Hawaii. It was  
there that we ran into my sister.."  
"What was she doing there?"  
"She was waiting for us to arrive. She had news for me."  
"Good  
or bad?"  
"That depends on your view of things. My mother's family  
has connections to one of the old Italian Aristocrat family's, and there's  
a rather large inheritance to be had, but it's tied up in a will that  
states it will only pass on to a male of the line. It seems there were  
no males of the line for three generations before I was born, but there  
is a chance one of my mother's Aunts who immigrated to America had a  
son. They didn't keep in touch with their family."  
"So you came  
to America to track your relatives here down to find out if you had any  
rivals for the estate."  
"It was my father who elected to come  
to America to hunt my relatives down  
and settle the issue."  
"So it wasn't your idea?"  
"I went with Donna to Italy, while  
he came here. I hated it there."  
"Oh, come on, Dougie, this  
is me you're talking too, I know you had a great time in Italy, what  
about all those trophies and medal's you picked up racing that bike of  
yours."  
"I only got involved with the racing crowd because the  
rider who took the Gemini Racer prototype out couldn't handle the bike  
and destroyed it when it hit a wall at high speed. Donna had to prove  
it wasn't the bike but the rider."  
"It's the bike. That beast  
is so hard to ride. I remember having a lot of  
trouble with it. I  
almost lost control of that bike when I rode it home from the station,  
and I wasn't even going all that fast. I can't believe how easy you made  
it look."  
"It *is* a race machine, Sunshine, it's supposed to  
be ridden at high speed, and when you're on the track, you need great  
or perfect balance, fast reflexes and a bit of muscle never hurts."  
"That's why she talked you into it, you've got all that."  
"It  
was more a case of no one else being willing to ride her bike, and not  
being able to afford the cost of losing the legal battle that crash resulted  
in.. Not after Mama almost went bankrupt paying for that bike to be built  
to Donna's design specifications.. You have no idea what the prototype  
and my bike were worth.. Let me tell that was the most expensive gamble  
my family ever took."  
"Oh, so it cost more than say setting  
up that restaurant of your father's?"  
"That wasn't a gamble,  
my father was a caterer for years before he decided  
to put all that  
experience to good use setting up his own restaurant."  
"Uh-huh.  
So I take it that the gamble you took with that bike wasn't worth  
it."  
"That depends on whether you mean my mother's gamble or me risking life  
and limb riding it.. My mama's gamble paid off, after I broke every speed  
record they had on that bike she had offers coming in from all the pro  
racing outfits, who just wanted the bike, and then there were the bike  
manufacturers who said, forget the bike, we want the designer."  
He chuckled at the memory.  
"I remember when the Yamaha representative  
came around to try and recruit her, the look on his face when he realized  
it had been designed by a *woman* and such a young one at that."  
"Now that's a good point.. I never believed it when she told me she designed  
the bike from the ground up.. I thought the body, maybe.."  
"My  
step father was a pro racer. He lived and breath high power racing bikes  
and sucked up to my mother by taking Donna along with him and teaching  
her all about bikes. By the time she was sixteen, she was one of his  
race teams pit crew, she could strip a bike down and rebuild it from  
the ground up, there wasn't anything she didn't know about racers, and  
they designed that bike together before he was killed. That's why Mama  
was willing to take the gamble she took.. He *knew* bikes, and he apparently  
raved that they had a little genius in their midst. That he'd take out  
the world motorcycle championship's on the bike.."  
"If he knew  
his bikes so well, why'd he loose control of it."  
"Oh, he wasn't  
the one riding it, it was the other member of his riding team who took  
it out and destroyed it. And he wasn't killed, he came off the bike before  
it hit the wall. It's Donna's opinion that he did it deliberately, because  
he knew mama would go bankrupt if the bike was wrecked before a good  
rider showed the world how good the design was."  
"Oh.."  
"He had the hots for her, if she'd gone bankrupt she would have lost  
everything, I remember Mama telling me to toss him out literally after  
he made an ever so generous offer to drop the suit against Donna and  
help her pay off her debts if she'd marry him, that's when Mama said,  
in for a penny in for a pound, and got the bank to increase her loan  
to build my bike."  
"I'm surprised Donna let you keep it."  
"She didn't have any choice, the only way mama could get that loan was  
by  
having me go guarantor, after all I was the one just biding my  
time to collect the Duke's Estate."  
"I can't believe you gave  
up a *multi-million* inheritance to go undercover."  
Doug snorted.  
"Thanks to the Duke's will stating it went to the first born male heir  
of the line, *or* the to the next male heir in line, my life was worth  
spit. One of my Aunt's married into the Mafiosi, and had a son, *after*  
my mother.. And his father had his eye on the family fortune and the  
only way he could get his hands on it, was to A.) Make sure my father  
didn't find another heir to the Fortune here, and get rid of me, permanently."  
"Ah." =That explains a lot.=  
"Which is why I left Italy when  
I did.. Donna was positively fuming about it.. She had all these grand  
plans to turn me into a pro-racer just like her adored Papa.."  
"I thought you had plans to return to the race circuit once you brought  
your fathers killer to justice. I won't believe it if you say that was  
all just talk, you *loved* that bike, and you loved pushing it to it's  
limits."  
"I used to talk about re-opening my father's restaurant  
too."  
"Now there's a real crime, not doing it.. You are a better  
cook than he was."  
"He never said he was a great cook.. But  
he was one hell of a caterer. He was the best damned Caterer in the business,  
nothing ever fazed him, he alway's had everything organised done to the  
minutest detail."  
Ray chuckled.  
"What's funny about  
that."  
"You just reminded me of my friend Benni.. I bet the  
drawer's in your desk are just like his. Ever so neat and organised.  
And I bet the kitchen here is perfect too.. I remember the kitchen at  
your place in Chicago.. You knew exactly where every little thing in  
that Chef's wet dream was."  
Doug gave a weak little smile.  
"So sue me, I get it off my father."  
"Speaking of parents, my  
mother would kill me if I didn't get the recipe for this sauce off you."  
  


*=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=*

By chance, Ray  
was invited to sit in on a *friendly* game of poker between like ranked  
members of various syndicates and discovered the whole point of the game  
was to pass on and gather information about someone Ray knew well, Benton  
Fraser. For a brief time he thought his cover had been blown as all eyes  
fell on him, waiting to hear what he knew about the Mountie, but a muttered,  
"Yeah, I've heard stories too," apparently got him off the hook and the  
game continued until one of the players was called away to attend the  
birth of his first son.  
Soon after he was asked if he was in  
on the plan to take care of that interfering Red Coat, and opted out  
stating his association with Gemini's Major Domo and the Stallion's weakness  
for Mounties as the reason. That lead to some ribbing and one of the  
men getting curious about Gemini.  
"I've never seen her."  
"I heard she's got a body to die for."  
A smattering of black  
jokes about how many had died for that body in Italian and the end of  
the game followed.

======*======

Four day's passed before Ray had the opportunity to meet with Douglas  
again, four day's during which he heard more about the plan to take care  
of that interfering Mountie once and for all, and what he heard was enough  
to make him risk everything to set up a meeting with Fraser. Then his  
boss man suggested that it wouldn't do any harm to pay Gemini's man a  
visit.  
"Who's crossed Gemini, this time?"  
"No one,  
yet.. But soon, very soon, it could pay to be on his good side."  
"And being on his good side is all that kept her from declaring war on  
us after Alessandro messed up one of her women, I don't think she's going  
to forget that in a hurry."  
"That's why I want you to wrap that  
muscle bound goon of hers around your finger. And if he isn't in the  
mood for your company.. I'll send Sheba."  
Ray glanced around  
to see the statuesque woman in question, he exotic looks and mixed heritage  
turned heads wherever she went, she was also the best Body Guard the  
Don had because men took one look and automatically assumed she was his  
mistress instead of his body guard. Of course there was alway's the possibility  
she *was* his mistress too.  
=Why he thinks sicing her on Doug  
would work is beyond me= Ray thought and made a mental note to find out  
if Doug's tastes had become more broad based.  
Sheba reached  
up, and pulled a stiletto cleverly disguised as a hair ornament out from  
the sheath hidden in elegantly coifed hair and started cleaning her long  
nails with it.  
=On second thoughts, I can imagine those two  
have plenty in common= Ray thought as he gave her a weak smile and looked  
back at the Don.  
"There's no reason to send the Queen around,  
I'm sure he'll be delighted to have my company for dinner, especially  
if I drop in with a bottle of that wine you're hiding in the cellar."  
"Which one?"  
"Hmm...Well when I had dinner with him last week..."

*=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=*

A delicious dinner and inconsequential conversation over a glass of highly  
expensive, fine wine or two later, Ray asked Doug if he minded if he  
put some music on and Doug invited him to play anything he wanted to.  
He watched Ray stand and walk across the room, admiring the way the tight  
jeans Ray had chosen to wear clung to his legs and behind. He watched  
Ray slip a tape out of his back pocket and banished the wicked thoughts  
watching him do that inspired. Ray slipped the tape into the tape deck  
on his expensive sound system and hit play. He watched as the unfamiliar  
music started and Ray moved to the window sill to sit on it and lean  
back in a thoroughly provocative pose inspiring a few more wicked thoughts  
involving ever so slowly sliding that exquisite green silk shirt that  
matched his eyes off his body and...

I've been watching  
you  
All night long  
I have to say that you've been coming  
on  
You're teasing me  
With those sexy eyes  
Full of promises of sweet surprise.

Doug's licentious thoughts  
scattered as the words of the song sank in.  
  
Oh me  
Oh Mi  
  
=Oh me Oh Mi indeed, interesting choice of music,  
Sunshine=

I want to stay straight but  
You're getting  
me hiiii..

=Hoh boy=

"Are you trying to say  
something with your choice in music, Mia Caro?"  
Ray just smiled.  
  
I want to make it with you tonight  
This lovin feeling  
keeps getting stronger  
I've gotta make it with you tonight  
I can't wait another minute longer.  
I oh I wanna make it with  
you.

Doug rose from the couch with a grace that his build  
belied and began crossing the room.

Standing there with  
your  
Hands on your hips  
Tender promises on your lips  
Girl your filling me through and through  
With invitations to  
come with you  
Oh me Oh Mi  
I want to stay straight  
but your getting me hi-ii-iigh

Doug joined him at the window sill  
and he felt Doug's hand touch his face, cupping his head before his lips  
touched his and he felt Doug run the tip of his tongue over his lower  
lip, then his teeth nipped at it and he parted his lips and allowed him  
to deepen the kiss. As Doug started turning his fantasies into reality  
any reservations Ray had about going through with his intentions to seduce  
Doug faded away.  
=Oh yeah, mhmm..don't stop that feels so good=  
His lips moved to Doug's ear and he started singing along with the tape,  
pitching his voice at a husky near whisper that he knew turned Doug on.

I want to make it with you tonight  
This lovin feeling keeps  
getting stronger  
I've gotta make it with you tonight  
I can't wait another minute longer.  
I oh I wanna make it with  
you.

Doug's arms moved around him and the next then Ray  
knew he was being lift up and cradled against the muscular chest, being  
carried through the apartment to the bedroom and thoroughly kissed every  
step of the way.

*=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=*

Ray looked down at the sleeping form of the man he'd just allowed to  
make exquisite love to him and wondered what his reaction would be if  
he worked out the reason behind it. It wouldn't be long now.  
Absently toying with the pendant that hung from the gold chain around  
his neck he pondered the wisdom of his actions, and came to the conclusion  
that wise they might not have been, but necessary they were. Douglas  
Montray might be a man of his word, but he was also a deep cover agent  
who had to weigh the risks of what keeping his word might cost him in  
the long run.  
Now the chances of him saying yes, were much  
higher, and they'd be much higher still once he made his declaration  
of intent to act himself, even if it meant blowing his own cover.

  


*=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=*

Ray woke from  
his restless sleep to the feel of a hand sliding down his body. He shuddered,  
then remembered where he was and who he was with and suppressed the urge  
to belt the owner of that hand and opened one eye, smiling lazily instead.  
"And here I was thinking I just had a great dream, till I woke up," Doug  
almost purred.  
"Just call me curious," Ray said.  
"Did  
I satisfy your curiosity?" Doug asked.  
This time there was nothing  
fake about Ray's satisfied smile.  
=Forget curiosity, you satisfied  
me, period=  
"Oh yes.."  
=Time to wrap you around my  
finger a little tighter=  
Ray's hand reached out to snake down  
Doug's body caressing him back. Doug's response was to envelope Ray in  
a two fold embrace, wrapping both arms and legs around him and kissing  
him soundly, his tongue slid between Ray's lips to begin exploring his  
mouth. Then Doug was rolling away with a cry of pain as Ray's leg rose,  
his thigh impacting hard with his genitals.  
=*cringe*=  
Ray watched Doug roll over to his side and curling up.  
"Sorry,"  
Doug gasped.  
Slowly Ray reached out to stroke his back and sides.  
"No.. I'm sorry.. I didn't mean to do that.. It was just.. an instinctive  
reaction."  
Doug's hand moved to cover Ray's hand as it skittered  
over his hip.  
"I'll try.. to remember not to do that when you're  
half asleep in future."  
=Thank G-d, he's not furious with me=  
"And.. sometime.. we're gonna... talk about.. why you.. react instinctively  
like that."  
=Uh-oh=  
"Not that I really need to ask  
why someone who so obviously enjoys heavy petting reacts so badly to  
things going further. And I know it's not just me, you reacted the same  
way in the past."  
=*sigh*=  
"And in light of my suspicions,  
Caro, I'm going to take the fact you chose to be here with me as a compliment  
and try to ignore it when you react like that."  
=Just for that  
I'm going to return the favour=  
Ray slid closer to Doug and  
kissed the sensitive spot where jaw meets throat and ear, then his lips  
roamed slowly over Doug's throat before moving on to his shoulder. Ray  
let his hand slide down Doug's side, over muscular abdominals and pecs.  
=G-d, what a body you have= Ray thought as his hand slid over that muscular  
torso and Doug started to uncurl, his body beginning to tremble with  
pleasure, his little sighs of pleasure urging Ray to continue.  
Ray's hand slid over one of those incredibly well defined pectoral muscles  
and found a nipple to stroke and tease. Doug uncurled even further and  
then turned to lie flat on his back. Ray slid the remaining distance  
to replace his teasing fingers with a mouth. Doug's purr of pleasure  
was loud and Ray smiled, let his hands and mouth roam over Doug's body  
working to memorize where he liked to be touched and how.  
Every  
time Ray's hand strayed toward Doug's hips, Doug would trap it then direct  
Ray's hand else where. It almost became a game to Ray, trying to sneak  
his hand past Doug's guard but then Doug changed the stakes, turning  
to his side to start touching Ray in return.  
Things were going  
along extremely well and Ray was swept up in a wave of passion induced  
by his partner's skilled mouth and fingers. Then Doug's hot breath was  
at his throat and he felt those lips on his ear. A hot tongue teased  
his throat and ear then Doug was speaking, his voice thick with passion  
as he made multilingual suggestions. As one of those suggestions sank  
into his passion fogged mind Ray stiffened and Doug's hand fluttered  
down his body to stroke his throbbing sex.  
Slowly that Doug  
was suggesting he, Ray, make love to him sank in and Ray relaxed again,  
letting those magic finger's work their magic. Doug's body slid over  
his for a brief movement, then he was gone and Ray looked around to see  
him open a bedside cabinet draw and pull things out. Then Doug was back,  
ripping open a silver packet with his teeth and opening a tube of lubricant.  
Doug applied that to his sex with long slow and teasing strokes and Ray  
arched over the bed, his hands clawing the sheets, crying out in ecstasy.  
Then  
Doug used his mouth to apply that latex sheath before those extremely  
talented fingers came into play again. It was almost enough to make him  
cum then and there, and Doug seemed to be aware of it because he moved  
away again, to kneel on the bed and let his hand roam over Ray's body  
and encouraged him to roll over. Those hand's roamed over his back, massaging  
every muscle in his back relaxing and arousing him in turn.  
Doug's mouth moved over his throat, marking the sensitive skin there  
before it moved onto Ray's ear and murmured words of love and affection  
in more than one tongue. Ray felt a wave of guilt wash over him, but  
banished it, Fraser's life depended on his ability to wrap Doug around  
his finger and make him agree to his plan.  
Doug's hand  
drifted down his body to touch his sex, finger's closing around it and  
Ray realized he'd given up on him granting his wish. He rolled then,  
and pushed Doug over, Doug smiled up at him, before he moved to kneel  
on the bed, sitting back on his heels. Ray wrapped his arms around him,  
and nuzzled at his neck while his hands wandered over Doug's incredible  
body.  
Doug's hand's moved around stroke his thighs and when  
Ray finally nerved himself to take it to the line, Doug pushed back to  
take him in eagerly and Ray was hard put to tell who's groan of pleasure  
was louder, his or Doug's. It felt good, damn good, especially when Doug  
began to move against him, setting the rhythm. He forgot everything but  
the moment, the movement, the incredible sensations, pushing him toward  
ecstasy.  
The sound of Doug's passion rough voice expressing  
his joy at this turn of events pushed Ray over the brink and he hugged  
Doug tight, his teeth sinking into Doug's neck as the rapture swept over  
him in waves.

*=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=*

Breakfast the next morning was served to Ray in bed by the very affectionate  
Doug, who made Ray feel so guilty that he could barely eat any of the  
delicious food Doug had prepared for his breakfast.  
=Time to  
get this over with, before I lose my nerve= Ray thought before he brought  
up the subject of the Mafiosi plot to assassinate Fraser and made his  
plea for Doug to protect his friend. Doug's reaction was predictable.  
"You're insane if you're think I'm going to interfere with their plans  
to get rid of that interfering Mountie, Mia Caro."  
"But I've  
got it all worked out, he's got the looks and the body to attract your  
attentions, he's a Mountie and I happened to mention you've got a thing  
for Mounties. All it would take would be a show of.. interest in him  
and they'd back off."  
"No. The Mountie has ruined more than  
one Mafiosi plot, they're not going to back off and I'm not going to  
risk blowing my cover to protect some addled headed Mountie who had no  
business getting involved in the first place."  
"If you won't  
protect him, Doug, I'll intervene and to hell with whether or not it  
blows my cover."  
"If you interfere and blow your cover, they'll  
kill you."  
"I'm willing to take that risk - are you?"  
"What's it to you anyway?"  
"He's a friend."  
Doug's  
eyes narrowed dangerously.  
"A friend. A friend you care enough  
to prostitute yourself to protect."  
Ray almost blushed - but  
didn't deny it, what was the point.  
"If you want more than just  
a one night stand, you'll do what I ask."  
"That I can't do."  
"You owe me Doug, you said you'd give me anything I asked for that was  
in your power to give. It is in your power to protect Fraser. And done  
right you can do it without arousing suspicion."  
"It's too late  
for that. It was too late once it became an open secret they were planning  
a hit on him."  
"But.. if you follow my plan it could work."  
Doug sighed, there was just no getting through to Ray on this point.  
"What is your brilliant plan?"  
"I managed to send Fraser a note  
telling him to meet me at that French  
Creole restaurant you frequent,  
no one will think it's strange if you walk in there, notice Fraser at  
the bar and start chatting him up."

*=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=*

Not for the first time, Benton Fraser, Constable in the RCMP, glanced  
at his watch and wondered where Ray was. The message he'd received had  
been very specific about the time and place they were to meet. He'd made  
it to the restaurant's bar, half an hour early, and had been joined shortly  
there after by a rather handsome man who looked like a Italian but muttered  
under his breath in Quebecois. To pass the time he asked the Quebecois  
speaking stranger which part of Canada he came from in the same language.  
A discussion on Canada and various places of interest within its borders  
and distracted him sufficiently for over an hour to pass without his  
notice.  
He was quite surprised when he looked at his watch  
and realized how much time had passed. He looked around for Ray and was  
disappointed and concerned to note that Ray hadn't arrived yet. He apologized  
to his new friend for deserting him and left the bar, and the restaurant  
to check the street outside. He returned to the restaurant and the bar  
growing anxious with every passing moment, and his new friends chatter  
did nothing to distract him as he checked his watch again and again.  
"You are waiting for a companion, oui?"  
"Oui."  
"A woman?"  
"A man."  
His new found friend smiled and his long fingered hand  
descended on Fraser's thigh in a very intimate gesture.  
"If  
you were to be my dinner companion, I would not be late."  
"I'm  
afraid you've gotten the wrong impression."  
"Have I?"  
"Catiche non," Fraser said resorting to Quebecois to try get the point  
across.  
"You are like a *friend* of mine.. He too said the same  
thing, and protested at first, but in the end it was he who seduced me  
into bed and not the other Ray around."  
Fraser started.  
=Did he just say what I think he said?=  
Fraser remained stock  
still as his admirer leaned close, to whisper sweet something's in Quebecois  
in his ears.  
=Ray sent him...or he knows that Ray set up a  
meeting with me.. How to tell..=  
He swatted Doug.  
"Monsieur,  
where I come from that sort of suggestion could get you arrested for  
deviant behaviour."  
"Possibly, but we're not in Tucktoyatuck  
any more, or is that Runamuckaluck."  
=Hint taken, Ray.=  
"True."  
"Are you sure I can't interest you in a meal? They   
serve the most delicious trout here."  
Fraser glanced at his  
watch again, then looked to the entry, before finally nodding.  
"I believe I will join you, it would seem my companion has stood me up."  
"Then he is a fool.. Come.."

*=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=*

Fraser followed Douglas into his apartment noting the richness of its  
furnishings and began to suspect he may have fallen into a trap - his  
suspicion's were obliterated a moment later as the yawning Ray padded  
into the room wearing nothing but a bathrobe which obviously belonged  
to the tall Italio-Canadian, and a few very noticeable love bites on  
his neck and shoulders.  
Ray's yawn froze in mid act - as his  
eyes bugged out.  
"You did it!" Ray cried then he was flying  
across the room, to make Fraser's eyes bug out, by throwing himself at  
Doug to quite thoroughly kiss him.  
=Perhaps there was some truth  
in that pick up line of his.=  
"You were most persuasive. And  
once your friend got the hint.. It was quite an enjoyable venture," Doug  
said with a grin.  
"Did you have to deliver the hint with a sledge  
hammer?"  
"Yes. He made me wait over an hour for the perfect  
excuse to whisper sweet nothings in his ear."  
"If you wanted  
to see me Ray there was no need to go to such lengths."  
Ray  
detached himself from Douglas to move in on Fraser, taking his arm to  
lead him through the room."  
"There was a method to my madness,  
Benny. The Gentleman who picked you up is.. one of Gemini's associate's,  
Gemini is.."  
"A Gang leader with a reputation for being lethal  
when crossed, who's Major Domo is a blatantly homosexual Italian Stallion  
who no Don in his right mind would irritate, seeing as how he is the  
only person who can talk her out of declaring war against the Mafiosi  
for whom she has no love."  
Douglas muttered a comment in Italian  
which made Ray laugh.  
"Did I miss something?"  
"It was  
a private Joke Fraser.. You're right about Gemini, and my friend here  
is her Major Domo.. And no one in the right mind would mess with one  
of his *friends*."  
"Is there some reason you want people to  
believe we are intimately aquatinted?"  
"4 Separate syndicates  
have joined forced to put a contract out on you for interfering with  
their activities, Fraser."  
"So Zuko informed me."  
"Zuko  
warned you?!"  
"He wanted to make it very clear that he had no  
part in it."  
"I bet."  
"Have you made plans?" Douglas  
asked.  
"I've been wearing a bullet proof vest ever since I received  
the warning,"  
Fraser admitted, then looked at Ray. "Your replacement  
threatened to lock me in a cell until he could find a way to get me deported  
back to Canada if I didn't," Fraser told Ray.  
"Smart guy.."  
"He can't replace you."  
"Speaking of which.."  
Ray left  
Fraser's side to give Doug one last passionate kiss and a grope before  
rushing off to the bedroom, dragging Fraser after him.

*=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=*

Fraser sat on the bed staring at the floor as Ray dressed.  
"So  
he's an deep cover agent."  
"Yeah.. You can trust him, and if  
you act your part right the impression that you're his lover should make  
the men who want you dead think twice."  
Fraser wanted to ask  
more questions, like just what sort of relationship Ray and Doug had  
but Ray didn't give him the chance. Tugging on his clothes Ray achieved  
the haphazard, got dressed in a hurry look he was looking for and then  
jammed on one shoe, scooping the other up in his hand before he headed  
for the door. Fraser jumped up and followed him out of the room.  
"All right I covered all the main point's that need to be covered. The  
rest is up to you Dougie," Ray announced.  
"You will be staying  
here for the night Mr Fraser, you can depart any time after 4 am - but  
please insure you look suitably rumpled, we want to give the impression  
you accompanied me here for more than coffee and conversation."  
Fraser nodded.  
"Do not be surprised if you find yourself bumping  
into affectionate ole me in all sorts of strange, but public places,  
for your own sake act as if you are not totally adverse to being the  
recipient of such affections."  
"Understood."  
Ray headed  
for the door.  
"You're leaving," Fraser almost wailed.  
"Yes. But before I do.."  
Ray crooked a finger and Fraser joined  
him, and Ray caught his shirt and pulled him down, to pull his collar  
down.  
"There's a little matter of window dressing to attend  
to," Ray announced before proceeding to give Fraser what promised to  
be one hell of an obvious hickey.  
A very flushed Fraser watched,  
rubbing at his tingling neck as Ray departed with a very melodramatic  
air of injured pride, loudly denouncing Douglas for the cad he was before  
stomping off down the corridor.  
"Was that really necessary?"  
"What? The Love bite or his theatrics?"  
"Both."  
"Yes.  
I always leave my mark on my lovers and he doesn't trust me to stop at  
one little nibble, which is why he gave it to you personally."  
"If he didn't trust you, I wouldn't be here now."  
"He'd trust  
me with his - and your life. Your virtue though is another matter entirely.  
He'll probably spend the rest of the night, tossing and turning imagining  
me chasing you all over the apartment."  
"I had no idea his tastes  
ran to .. other men."  
"They don't.. But he cares enough about  
your welfare to use my weakness for him to gain my assistance to protect  
you - and he is my greatest weakness, which is why you're here now. Had  
I not agreed to his insane plan he would have risked his life and blown  
his cover to attempt to prevent your assassination."  
As intended,  
Fraser found that most disconcerting in light of the lengths  
Ray had  
gone to insure his safety.  
"How long am I supposed to play the  
part of your lover?"  
"Until we know they've called off the hit."  
"And when will that be?"  
"Only time will tell."

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